Iran's Revolutionary Guards seize 10 US sailors, 2 boats: Obama govt scrambles to get them back

Tehran: Iran's Revolutionary Guards in a statement early on Wednesday confirmed they had seized two American boats and 10 sailors in "Iranian territory" near the Farsi island in the Gulf.

"At 4.30 pm (1.00 pm GMT) Tuesday, two American combat boats carrying 10 armed marines who had entered Iranian territory were seized by the combat units of the Guards naval force and moved to Farsi island," an official statement said.

Representative image. REUTERS

"Passengers of the American boats, including nine men and one woman, (are being treated) with the Islamic conduct customary of the soldiers of the Guards naval forces, and they are in good health and being kept in a proper location," it added.

Two aircraft carriers, the USS Harry S Truman and France's Charles de Gaulle, were both in international waters near Farsi island when the US boats were captured, the statement said.

The Iranian Fars news agency, which is close to the Guards, reported that the "violating boats were 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) inside Iranian territory".

"This information was recorded on their GPS devices, and the Guards have got hold of that information," it said.

US officials were scrambling to recover US Navy personnel who lost radio contact and were apprehended after straying into Iranian waters. Senior US officials said yesterday they had received assurances from Tehran that the crews -- take to Farsi island -- would be allowed to sail onwards come first light.

But it appeared likely that the embarrassing crisis would last at least until after President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. Secretary of State John Kerry called his Iranian counterpart Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, with whom he struck the Iran nuclear deal.

Washington has no diplomatic relations with Tehran, but Kerry and Zarif forged a tie during the long negotiations for the pact and are in regular contact.

"He has a close relationship with foreign minister Zarif and that would be a natural point of contact," White House communications director Jen Psaki told CNN. "We have been in touch with the Iranians. We have been assured of their safety and that they will be able to move forward on their journey promptly," she said. "Obviously, any situation like this we take very seriously, and that's why we acted very quickly to get in touch and determine as much as we can."

A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said one or both of the vessels — small patrol boats — may have had a "mechanical incident." Farsi Island lies in the Gulf, roughly midway between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and houses a base of Iran's Republican Guard Corps, which has its own naval units. The tiny territory extends Iranian waters deep into one of the world's most important shipping lanes, an oil superhighway and potential military flashpoint.

"Earlier today, we lost contact with two small US naval craft en route from Kuwait to Bahrain," a senior US administration official said. American officials did not dispute that the vessels appeared to have been in Iranian territorial waters when they were intercepted by Tehran's forces.

"At this early stage," another senior administration official said, there is "nothing to indicate that" Iran had committed a hostile act. Ben Rhodes, a top national security aide for Obama, said the administration was "hopeful we will be able to resolve the issue."

Obama is expected to use his much-heralded final State of the Union address to burnish his legacy, hailing, among other things, the nuclear deal with Iran.

The deal foresees the Islamic republic scaling back its nuclear program to put a bomb outside its immediate reach in exchange for relief from international sanctions. The deal is to be implemented very soon — Kerry has said "in the coming days" — but has been criticized by Obama's US opponents as too soft on Tehran.

AFP

Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.